This application claims priority of International application PCT/NL00/00867, filed Nov. 28, 2000 and published in English.
The invention relates to an open roof construction for a vehicle having an opening in its roof, the front part of which can be closed by a first panel which is pivotable about a substantially horizontal axis at the front edge thereof, whilst the remaining part of the roof opening can be closed by means of at least one slidable second panel.
With prior art open roof constructions of this type the question of how to prevent undesirable inflow of wind into the interior of the vehicle via the roof opening when the second panel is moved to an open position forms a major challenge. After all, such inflow of wind may lead to objectionable resonances, which seriously affect the sense of comfort inside the vehicle. In particular when the second panel is a so-called xe2x80x9ctopsliderxe2x80x9d, which slides to an open position along the roof of the vehicle on the outside thereof and which is moved slightly upwards prior to such a sliding movement, the phenomenon of undesirable inflow of wind prominently manifests itself.
Over the years measures have already been proposed to overcome or at least alleviate the problem of such inflow of wind. According to the prior art as represented by EP-A-0 733 506, an upwardly extending air deflection element is also used at the free rear edge of the first panel, which is capable of upward pivoting movement about a front edge thereof (xe2x80x9cpop-upxe2x80x9d) and which performs a wind deflecting function in its upwardly pivoted position. When inflow of wind can already be prevented by pivoting said first panel through a small angle, this is a satisfactory solution. When the aforesaid topslider is used as the second panel, however, the first panel needs to perform its wind deflecting function more pronouncedly, which implies using large pivoting angles. When the front edge of the first panel is contiguous to a windscreen (or a roof part) of a vehicle that has a distinct curvature in transverse direction of the vehicle, and consequently the first panel has a corresponding distinct curvature at the location of its front edge, the pivoting of the first panel through large angles will lead to sealing problems at the location of said front edge, which problems can only be overcome by using complicated and expensive sealing means.
Another drawback of the prior art open roof constructions wherein the first panel performs a wind deflecting function is the fact that the shape of the first panel must be such that a continuous and aesthetically attractive roof contour is obtained in the closed position thereof. This is at odds with optimizing the shape of said first panel with a view to deflecting the wind, however, and consequently this is hardly possible, if at all.
The object of the invention is to provide an open roof construction of the present type by which the aforesaid drawbacks are overcome in a simple yet efficient manner.
In order to accomplish that objective, the invention provides an open roof construction of the type referred to in the introduction, wherein a wind deflecting arrangement functioning as a wind deflector is used, which can be moved rearwards and upwards, using suitable driving means, from a position of rest under the first panel to an operative position substantially above and behind the first panel.
In accordance with the inventive concept, the aforesaid wind deflection arrangement is now used for deflecting the wind and no longer primarily the first panel. Of course it remains possible for the first panel to perform a certain function in the deflection of the wind as well, but this is not necessary. Since the wind deflection arrangement is positioned under the first panel in its position of rest, in which position it is hidden from view, its shape can be designed to deflect the wind optimally without there being a need to take aesthetic considerations into account.
The angle through which the first panel is pivoted may be of relatively limited magnitude. The advantage of the fact that the first panel is pivotable is that thus sufficient room is provided for the wind deflection arrangement, which is initially positioned under said first panel, and the driving means thereof to move. This makes it possible to reduce the vertical distance to be made available for the movement of the wind deflection arrangement and driving means thereof, so that the open roof construction will project as little as possible into the interior of the vehicle (which is called compact xe2x80x9cpackagingxe2x80x9d in the industry).
There is another advantage to the aforesaid, usually limited, pivotability of the first panel. The upwardly pivoted first panel can already provide wind deflection to a certain extent before the wind deflection arrangement has been moved from its position of rest to its operative position (which movement is not possible until a sufficient distance has been created between the rear edge of the panel and the front edge of the second panel), thus preventing undesirable inflow of wind (in particular if the aforesaid topslider forms the second panel).
The driving means required for achieving the movement of the wind deflection arrangement may be of any type that is suitable, such as the usual guides that are already being used on a large scale in various embodiments of open roof constructions. In most cases the wind deflection arrangement will have its own, independent drive unit, which can be actuated by automatic means (for example on the basis of the vehicle speed. the wind velocity) or by the driver of the vehicle as desired.
It is noted that from DE 3916906 there is already known an open roof construction wherein a wind deflection arrangement can be moved rearwards and upwards from a position under a fixed roof portion to a position above the roof. Said open roof construction does not comprise a pivotable second panel, however, so that the concomitant advantages are not obtained.
An embodiment of the open roof construction according to the invention that is highly effective with a view to deflecting the wind is obtained when the wind deflection arrangement is pivotable about a horizontal pivot that extends substantially transversely to the vehicle. The horizontal pivot can be moved rearwards and upwards in order to effect the rearward and upward movement of the wind deflection arrangement. By pivoting the wind deflection arrangement about said horizontal pivot it becomes possible to change the angle of the wind deflection arrangement relative to the direction of flow of the oncoming air and thus optimize the obtained flow pattern.
In this framework it is also conceivable for the wind deflection arrangement to have a changeable contour. This can for example be achieved by configuring the wind deflection arrangement as a number of sections disposed one behind another, which are movable with respect to each other, which makes it possible to change the curvature of the wind deflection arrangement, for example. Such a sectional configuration, as it were, makes it possible to influence the flow pattern in a desired manner.